Our only New Moon of July comes to us this Sunday, July 23rd! By now, Summer is in full swing. The heat lays sticky thick on the backs of our thighs. Sunlight soaks into the skin, the blood of berries stains our thumbprints. Nature is bursting around us, flooding our senses. By the water, we lay sunning ourselves like so many lazy lizards, drinking in the heat, letting our gaze soften over the glittering waves sucking in and out over sand. Those of us in the city sweat, hide in the shade, or maybe leave the house more. Bees are buzzing, branches are bending over with fruit: our Sun is putting overtime in by this time in July!

The Full Moon was two weeks ago. What needed to deepen around our commitment to our dreams? We can examine any answers or suggestions that came through for us. Did any answers arise during the Waning Moon time? Any portals activated, any small flashes of wisdom or messages that came your way?

It could be a different way of viewing the situation, rewriting our perceptions—rewriting our expectations! Rewriting, more optimistically, what we know we owe ourselves. Finally. Tenderly. Actively.

At this time, we can think about what we wish to call in that is different. The New Moon is always an opportunity for a fresh start in the dark. It’s an ace, a seed dream. Find a bright colored piece of paper on the ground, pick it up. On it are written the words we need to hear in this instant. A whisper of encouragement formulated to land just a touch different. A great big Y-E-S overhead, written in the sky by clouds at the perfect moment.

Time is a spiral. It does not always undulate and shift according to the clock or the calendar, but in weirder, harder-to-pin-down ways. A New Moon meditation takes us into a portal where we meet our future cat who tells us what mountaintop we should leave an offering at, if we choose to close a certain chapter. We run into an old colleague in a random store in an out-of-town place that both of us are just visiting. Time bends as we giggle and recount a silly story—our past connects in an instant to the present. When inspiration strikes, time explodes out. There’s the idea, the excitement, the fast-forward movement of a project. Suddenly, in that moment, the next two days are taken over by plans, scribbles, drawings, conjuring. One minute you were driving in traffic, letting your mind wander over the blue noise hum of public radio. The next, a new idea for a novel, an art project, or a simple solution to a lingering problem sharpens quickly into focus.

Time can be bent and manipulated. In spell work, the state of trance takes us into another time zone where there is no time. We are simultaneously in the present, the past, the future, and maybe somewhere else: astral, holographic, our energy zooming through the multiverse.

We also know that time is arbitrary. A touch over six months ago, those of us in the West collectively celebrated the New Year. External events also set stages for fresh starts to unfold. This is why rituals exist: weddings, graduations, baby showers. We are denoting and celebrating large transitions. At this time, I urge you to celebrate a new beginning of sorts. Reflect on what your rituals are around the New Year, a move, or any other major change. Do you go through your cupboard, give away clothes, write an intentions list, call the glowing hearts in your life to tell them you love them? We’ve lived through two and a half seasons together of this particular year. The Summer Solstice was just over a month ago. Hard to believe, but we are just over halfway done with this bizarre 2017. Is it time for you to spend a portion of today making new intentions, new resolutions? Take an hour or more around this time to check in with your goals you made at the start of the year. Has anything changed? Is it time to make new ones or to rededicate yourself to the originals?

Change starts in small increments. Rituals mark shifts. What tiny or large rituals could you enact at this time to mark a chapter beginning or opening to your subconscious or conscious mind? Get creative—it is New Moon time—we are in the void, the time is now to get different, more creative in your thoughts, actions, movements, words, art. Now is the time for risks, going outside well-trodden comfort zones in both sensitive neuropathways and sidewalks.

How do you set the stage for fresh starts to begin?

How do you prime the pump of the well of personal and private new beginnings?

What can you do that is different at this time? Do you have the bandwidth to seek out a curious activity, like a dance class or haircut—one you’ve wanted to try for a long time? Do you need to go somewhere you’ve never been before: a hike, a space, a gallery, or a museum? If casting a spell, can you experiment with a different modality you haven’t tried before: a meditation, a breath work sequence, or enticing herb or crystal you’ve wanted to try out? Try making up a fun fresh chant, reading a new poem, or taking time to sit with, research, and explore a new archetype or philosophy. Sometimes our magical life needs a shake-up as well!

This is the first of two New Moons in a row in lovely Leo! This might be the opportunity to hit the acceleration on matters of energy, passion, inspiration, courage, and heart-centered matters. Be careful to pace your energy and be careful to check your ego during this time; too much fire leads to burnout and depletion. Likewise, be mindful of others’ flare-ups for the next month: August is likely to be a hot month, not just weather-wise, but in our interpersonal connections.